Join us as we host Bob Martin and Sarah Goldman as our closing STEMulate The Vote Seminar Series panelists!

Bob Martin

While Bob will tell you modestly that he's not an academic or a scientist, his extensive expertise in public policy and knowledge of agriculture, environmental and health issues ultimately brought him to the Center for a Livable Future in 2011, where he is now the director of the Food System Policy Program. During his years working for members of Congress from the Midwest, Bob gained a knack for strategizing and "bringing the right people together," he says. 

Previously, Bob worked on Capitol Hill and in a state legislature, as well as for a family farm advocacy group. He also worked for the Pew Charitable Trusts, where he served as a senior officer at the Pew Environment Group following the dissemination of his work as Executive Director of the Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production. 

Bob worked closely with staff at the Center and other experts from JHSPH on the Commission, which was a joint venture of Pew and JHSPH.  Ultimately, the Commission published 8 technical reports and one seminal report entitled "Putting Meat on the Table: Industrial Farm Animal Production in America."

"Food has become the social issue of our time," he says. "I was lucky enough to participate in an effort to shine a bright spotlight on one aspect of the food system that is in crisis."

At the Center, Bob's role will be to enhance policy efforts based on research conducted by the Center and other organizations. As the Center has grown substantially in recent years, one of Bob's responsibilities will be to ensure that it takes a coordinated approach to research and policy while optimizing partnerships with colleagues at other organizations.

Sarah Goldman

Sarah joined the Center for a Livable Future in 2019 as a Senior Program Coordinator with the Food System Policy Program, following work as an Emerson National Hunger Fellow.  As a fellow, Sarah worked on agricultural policy with the Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative and National Farm to School Network. At Carleton College, Sarah started an agricultural training program for fellow students that allowed them to learn from practitioners on topics ranging from soil health to water quality to business management, while also gaining hands-on farming experience. She’s also served as a community organizer in Nicaragua and as a student ambassador at the World Expo in Milan, which focused on food and nutrition.  

At the Center, Sarah conducts research and writes reports related to policies in key issue areas such as procurement, nutrition, antibiotic resistance, industrial food animal production, rural development, migrant food chain workers and more. She enjoys working on policy issues that get to the root causes of inequity in agriculture.

“There are many opportunities to spur positive social change through food systems work,” says Sarah. She finds that her work at the Center is a great opportunity to work on two food systems issues that are close to her heart—anti-hunger and agricultural production—while also allowing her to explore questions of equity and how to build diverse and inclusive communities within the food system. An avid cyclist, banjo player and gardener, Sarah spends as much time outdoors as possible.

Join us as we host Dr. Yael Schacher, Fatima Sanz, and Dr. W. Courtland Robinson as our fifth STEMulate The Vote Seminar Series panelists!

Yael Schacher, PhD

Yael Schacher is senior U.S. advocate at Refugees International in Washington D.C., where she focuses on asylum, refugee admissions, temporary protected status, and humanitarian visas. In recent reports for Refugees International, Yael has addressed the negative impacts of U.S. COVID-19 border and deportation policies and suggested alternative approaches that better respond to public health concerns while upholding the rights of asylum seekers.  Prior to joining Refugees International, Yael worked on her forthcoming book about the history of asylum in the United States as a postdoctoral fellow at the Institute for Historical Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. Before that she spent several years teaching about immigration at the University of Connecticut and volunteering at the legal services office of the Connecticut Institute for Refugees and Immigrants. She has an M.A. in History and a Ph.D. in American Studies from Harvard University.

Fatima Sanz, M.S.Ed., MPA

As the Policy Strategist at World Education Services, Fatima tracks policy changes on the issue of immigrant economic integration at the state and federal level. She also works closely with partners to advocate for policies aimed at removing barriers to employment for immigrants and refugees. Fatima has a background in international education, and local and national policy research. She holds an MPA and an M.S.Ed. in International Education Development from the University of Pennsylvania, as well as a B.S. in International Politics from Georgetown University. 

W. Courtland Robinson, Ph.D.

Courtland Robinson, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the Department of International Health with a joint appointment in the Department of Population Family and Reproductive Health, and is also core faculty with the Center for Humanitarian Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. His research interests have focused on populations in migration, whether displaced by conflict or natural disaster, or in the context of migrant labor and human trafficking.  

Join us as we host Dr. Wangui Muigai and Kimberly Haven as our fourth STEMulate The Vote Seminar Series panelists!

Wangui Muigai, Ph.D.

Wangui Muigai, Ph.D. is Assistant Professor at Brandeis University in the departments of History, African and African American Studies, and the Program in Health: Science, Society, and Policy. Her research focuses on race and health, and the history and politics of reproduction in the U.S. She is currently writing a book on the history of black infant mortality in the United States. Dr. Muigai received her Ph.D. in history of science from Princeton University and her A.B. in history of science from Harvard University. In 2017 she was the History Fellow at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

Kimberly Haven

Kimberly Haven is a thought leader and a powerful voice and force in the social justice movement. She is a focus-issue expert and is a frequently called upon speaker on issues such as Women in Prison, Women’s Reproductive Justice, Voting Rights and Democracy, Collateral Consequences, Conditions of Confinement, Mass Incarceration and Re-Entry, Pre-Trial Reform, and Parole and Probation reforms.  She is a sought-after expert for legislative testifying and media commentary on a broad range of criminal justice reform and advocacy issues and she consults with state and local elected officials and executives on criminal justice issues. She has played a leadership role in numerous statewide efforts and has executed a variety of message campaigns in order to engage and impact public debates and ultimately to move policy.  She has successfully ideated and created innovative community engagement strategies and campaigns during the past 20+ years and she has the unique distinction of being one of only 2 formerly incarcerated individuals (and the only woman) who has written and gotten passed several pieces of legislation at both the State and City levels. She has an extensive background in community organizing, creating advocacy campaigns and leading legislative campaigns. She is uniquely familiar with the criminal justice system as a result of her own incarceration and is adept at organizing in this space. Currently, she is the Director of Policy, Advocacy and Outreach for “From Prison Cells to PhD” where she leads the efforts of the Policy and Communications teams as well as a team of Ambassadors who are operating in three states to develop satellite programs.  Additionally, she is a member of the Unlock Higher Ed steering committee and sits on several sub-committees providing administrative support. She has a strong passion for all justice issues, with a special focus on the reproductive justice issues facing incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women and is committed to reforming the negative conditions of confinement.  In this space, she is the Policy and Coalition Director for Reproductive Justice Inside (RJI) where she wrote the first-in-the-nation law prohibiting the forced solitary confinement of pregnant and post-pregnant individuals. This law ended and archaic practice that was tantamount to punishing a woman for being pregnant. Ms. Haven speaks with a fresh voice, insight and authority that brings new attention to the issues in the criminal justice system.

Join us as we host Dr. Martha Jones and Dr. Michael Latner as our third STEMulate The Vote Seminar Series panelists!

Martha Jones, JD, PhD

Martha Jones, JD, Ph.D. is an American historian and legal scholar. She earned her Ph.D. in history from Columbia University and JD from the CUNY School of Law. Her work examines how Black Americans have shaped the story and history of American democracy. Prior to the start of her academic career, she was a public interest lawyer in New York City where she represented homeless people, people with mental illnesses, and women living with HIV/AIDS. Her work – deeply rooted in her passion for social justice, was recognized with the Charles H. Revson Fellowship on the Future of the City of New York at Columbia University. She is the author of several books and articles which focus on women’s rights, politics, and the history of race in America. Dr. Jones currently has an appointment at Johns Hopkins University, and she is a Professor of History and the Society of Black Alumni Presidential Professor. Dr. Jones will speak about the history of voting rights and voter suppression to establish the foundational importance of voting in America. 

Michael Latner, PhD

Michael Latner, Ph.D. earned his Ph.D. in political science from the University of California, Irvine. He is a Kendall Voting Rights Fellow with the Center for Science and Democracy at the Union of Concerned Scientists. His research focuses on political representation and electoral systems, including redistricting and gerrymandering in the US, and the impact of electoral administrative law on political participation. In addition, he works to bring public attention to robust scientific measures of integrity and bias in US electoral institutions, and the impact of electoral bias on public health, environmental, and related safety policies and outcomes. He has published extensively on election-related issues in the academic and popular press, and co-authored articles for The Guardian and The Washington Post. He currently holds an appointment as an associate professor of political science and public policy at the California Polytechnic State University. Dr. Latner will speak about the intricacy of voter suppression, how it threatens democracy, and the policies that can curb voter suppression.  

Come join us as we host Dr. Yvette Seger and Dr. Chanel Matney as our second STEMulate The Vote Seminar Series panelists!

Yvette Seger, PhD

Yvette Seger, PhD, is the Deputy Director of the Office of Public Affairs and Director of Science Policy for the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB), a coalition of 29 scientific societies collectively representing over 130,000 individual biological and biomedical researchers. In these roles, she contributes to the overall strategic vision for the Office of Public Affairs, specifically guiding the efforts of FASEB’s Science Policy Committee and the work of its topical working groups. Dr. Seger launched her policy career at the National Academies as a Christine Mirzayan Science & Technology Policy Fellow where she worked on a report examining processes for identifying and appointing scientists to key federal advisory positions. After leaving the Academies, Dr. Seger held senior policy positions at the research advocacy group FasterCures, the National Institutes of Health, and Thomson Reuters before joining FASEB in 2013. Dr. Seger holds a PhD in Genetics from Stony Brook University, and received a BA in Zoology (Genetics Concentration) and Politics & Government from Ohio Wesleyan University.

Chanel Matney, PhD

Chanel Matney, PhD, earned a doctorate in Neuroscience from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, where her research was funded by a NSF graduate research fellowship. While there, Chanel co-founded and served as Vice President of Johns Hopkins Science Policy Group - an organization that provided a platform for scientists to be civically engaged on critical science policy issues. After earning her PhD, she worked in policy affairs at the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, a research member society that monitors how federal policies will impact academic biological research. From there, she transitioned to an internship with Research!America, the US’ largest non-profit research funding advocacy alliance, where she learned how to develop strategic communications for target audiences. Following that stint, Chanel completed a fellowship at the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies, a Department of Defense think tank that provides science and technology consulting services to federal defense and intelligence agencies. She eventually made her way out west as a California Council on Science & Technology fellow, where she worked on bills in education policy. From there, she transitioned into her current role, where she serves as a legislative policy consultant for transportation issues in the California State Assembly. Outside of these day jobs, Chanel has also volunteered as an Early Career Policy Ambassador with the Society for Neuroscience, an Associate Editor with the Journal of Science Policy and Governance, and Logistics Chair for the International Brain Bee - an annual neuroscience competition for teenagers. Most recently, Chanel was appointed to the role of Professional Development and Mentorship Coordinator with the National Science Policy Network. She lives in Sacramento with her partner and their Corgi/Dachshund mix, Winnie.

Come join us as we host Melissa Varga, Dr. Adrián Rivera-Reyes, and Shaughnessy Naughton, the inaugural panel of our STEMulate the Vote Seminar Series!

Melissa Varga

Melissa Varga is the Science Network community manager and partnerships coordinator with the Center for Science and Democracy at UCS. She manages the online community for the Science Network, a group of nearly 24,000 scientists and technical experts interested in science advocacy, which offers its members resources, training, webinars, and opportunities to get involved in the issues they care about. Prior to joining UCS, Melissa was candidate outreach manager of the Candidate Project at the New Organizing Institute, where she helped train and provide online resources for citizens across the country who were running for local office. She earned an MA in political management from The George Washington University, and BA in English and political science from Marietta College.

Dr. Adrián Rivera-Reyes

Dr. Adrián Rivera-Reyes is a cancer biologist, community organizer, and advocate for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ rights. Dr. Adrián Rivera-Reyes obtained his Ph.D. in Cell and Molecular Biology with a concentration in Cancer Biology from the University of Pennsylvania. Adrián is a community leader and serves as a Commissioner on the Pennsylvania Governor’s Advisory Commission on Latino Affairs. As a Commissioner, Adrián  helps to inform the Governor on issues affecting the Latinx community in Philadelphia and to advise on policies and legislation that impact the Latinx community in PA. Adrián is a founding member and organizer of PhillyBoricuas, a grassroots organization that  engages and helps to organize the Puerto Rican and Hispanic community in North Philadelphia around issues of justice and equity. In his professional capacity, Adrián has worked at the Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute at Penn and as a scientist for  Spark Therapeutics. Currently, Adrián is a AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellowship at the United States Agency for International Development.

Shaughnessy Naughton

Shaughnessy Naughton, Founder and President of 314 Action is an entrepreneur with a degree in chemistry from Bryn Mawr College and a passion for understanding the role of science in our everyday lives. With a background in research and drug discovery, Shaughnessy got involved in politics out of concern for the future of science in the United States. In 2014, after running a business for over a decade, she stepped up to run for congress in Pennsylvania’s 8th District. With no prior political experience, other than phoning legislators and knocking on doors for campaigns, she faced an uphill battle, to say the least.   Ultimately, Shaughnessy was not successful, but she did receive a tremendous amount of support from the scientific community. Through her campaign, she learned there are not enough people with scientific backgrounds in congress and that we see the effects of that in the attempted politicization of science, mocking of basic research and denial of climate change. This is not just bad for science, it is bad for our country.  Shaughnessy founded 314 Action to encourage and unite the scientific community to do more than just advocate for science, and to get involved in the political process. That means run for office, at any level, organize and call on your representatives to stand with science and to make your voices heard. Science is and always should be above politics. But too many politicians are taking on anti-science positions and we need to push back. The best way to do that is to ensure that like-minded, problem-solving engineers and scientists have a seat at the table.